The rapidly spreading, deadly ebola outbreak in Africa is a cause for grave concern – although health officials stress that Britons need not worry unduly.

It does, however, highlight how important it is to take precautions when visiting countries where there is a possibility of contracting diseases unheard of at home.

Here, PROFESSOR LARRY GOODYER, head of the Leicester School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University and deputy chairman of the British Global and Travel Health Association, explains how to avoid everything from traveller’s tummy, to something more serious.

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Safe travels: Ensuring you have had all the jabs, avoid high-risk areas and make sure food is property cooked are easy ways to avoid falling ill on holiday

The average traveller isn’t really at risk from ebola, right?

Ebola is an extremely serious disease but the vast majority of travellers aren’t at risk. Ebola seems to be a problem predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa. Some animals there appear to carry the disease.

Outbreaks in humans probably occur as a result of eating the meat from those wild animals or handling carcasses that harbour the virus.

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Ebola is then passed from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids, either through intimate contact, caring for someone with the condition, or from being in an area where there is an outbreak.

I’m travelling in an area where cases have been reported. How do I stay safe?

Quarantine arrangements are in place in those areas affected and must be obeyed. As a precaution, avoid eating ‘bush meats’ of any wild animals such as fruit bats or monkeys. Other than that, follow the same advice we always give to reduce the risk of general illness and stomach upsets. Practise good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water and regularly use a sanitising hand gel, too.

If you do travel to Africa and develop a fever, flu-like symptoms, feel generally ill or your temperature is raised, seek medical advice for a variety of reasons, including malaria.

Low-risk for tourists: Yes, Ebola is real, but it is only passed from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids

Is sitting next to someone enough to catch ebola?

Even if you were sitting near someone on a plane who was infected, you’d still need to come into direct contact with their bodily fluids to contract the disease.

If I suspect someone is unwell on a plane, what should I do?

It could be down to many ailments including flu, a stomach upset, or even a hangover. If someone was critically ill they wouldn’t be allowed on a plane, and if they fell ill on board, the pilot would seek advice.

It would be irresponsible of passengers to cause panic because someone appeared unwell, but you could discreetly alert the cabin crew of your concerns.

If I get ill on holiday, might I be stopped from travelling home?

If you had ebola you wouldn’t be allowed to fly home – you’d be in quarantine and receiving emergency treatment.

So I don’t need to worry about
ebola. But the family is off on holiday in a fortnight and we haven’t
really thought about vaccination – what should we do?

It’s
important you have any required vaccinations six weeks in advance of
your trip. If it’s only two weeks, or less, until your holiday, go to
your GP or local travel clinic immediately to be vaccinated. They’ll
tell you what you need for the country you are visiting.

Crucial: It is important everyone in your family has the appropriate vaccinations

So once we’re vaccinated, we don’t need to worry?

It’s important to be vigilant about your health when travelling.

For example, if you’re going to an area where malaria is prevalent, you may need to take medication to protect yourself from it.

Take steps also to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, as this is how malaria is contracted. Use a bug spray and sleep with nets over your bed.

Read up on the symptoms so you know if you develop any.

There are lots of common ailments you can’t be vaccinated against but that can be debilitating, such as traveller’s tummy, so being prepared is important.

Are there medicines or a first-aid kit that every family should take when going abroad?

Stock a medical kit with simple items for cuts, grazes and sprains, and ensure you have antiseptic cream, antihistamines and sterile dressings for mosquito bites.

Also, carry painkillers, anti-inflammatories and loperamide to help stop diarrhoea.

Always pack sachets of rehydration salts as dehydration can be dangerous after a stomach upset or sickness.

If you’re going on an adventure holiday, you might need specific medicines, such as drugs for altitude sickness.

I advise against buying medicines while in Africa – even paracetamol – because of the huge number of counterfeit products.

What exactly is traveller’s tummy?

A form of E.coli called enterotoxigenic escherichia coli is the most common cause, and symptoms include diarrhoea, cramps and sometimes fever and nausea.

Food that’s not cooked thoroughly, isn’t hot enough or has been sitting on a buffet for a long time and has flies on it is the main cause.

Can drinking a little of the local water help prevent me from catching traveller’s tummy?

To get any kind of resistance takes months, if not a year. Although food is more risky than water when it comes to bugs, I would still always drink bottled water or water that has been boiled. In Africa, I would boil and treat water with a dissolvable chemical tablet.

Can I take something before travelling to stop tummy bugs?

There are a number of probiotics and prebiotics on the market and some may decrease the risk of tummy troubles by up to 70 per cent. But you’re more likely to eventually succumb to traveller’s tummy in certain countries, and the longer you’re away.

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From ebola to insect bites, how to dodge dangers that will wreck your break